The 2022 Lexington Herald-Leader All-State Girls’ Basketball Team is here
The Herald-Leader is proud to announce its 2022 All-State Girls’ Basketball Teams as voted on by high school coaches across the commonwealth.
Sacred Heart’s ZaKiyah Johnson, who earlier this month was named the most valuable player of the Mingua Beef Jerky Girls’ Sweet 16 as a freshman, garnered the most points among our 50 All-State honorees to become the Herald-Leader’s Girls’ Basketball Player of the Year.
Johnson, a 6-foot guard/forward, averaged 17.7 points and 7.6 rebounds per game and helped the Valkyries defend their state title. She obtained 38 player of the year votes and appeared on 80 of 106 ballots submitted by coaches participating in the Herald-Leader’s all-state survey.
Bullitt East’s Gracie Merkle, a Bellarmine commit, finished second in the voting and earned 19 player of the year votes. Anderson County’s Amiya Jenkins, a Kentucky commit who was chosen the state’s Miss Basketball last week, finished third and received 24 player of the year votes. The Miss Basketball title is an honor reserved for seniors.
Rounding out the Herald-Leader’s first team are seniors Cassidy Rowe of Shelby Valley, Josie Gilvin of Sacred Heart and Allie Stone of West Carter, as well as juniors Haven Ford of Rowan County and Kensley Feltner of Lawrence County, sophomore Trinity Rowe of Pikeville and freshman Leah Macy of Mercy.
The Herald-Leader All-State Teams are based on coaches’ selections in a statewide survey conducted by the Lexington Herald-Leader/Kentucky.com. Players are listed in order of point totals based on coaches’ votes. There are three teams of 10 players, plus 20 honorable mentions.
First team
| Player, School | Ht | Class | PPG | Notes | All State Points | POY Votes |
| ZaKiyah Johnson, Sacred Heart | 6-0 | Fr. | 17.7 | 2022 Girls’ Sweet 16 MVP. 2025 ESPN HoopGurlz Watch List. | 668 | 38 |
| Gracie Merkle, Bullitt East | 6-6 | Sr. | 18.6 | Bellarmine commit. Field-goal percentage leader (71.5%) for state runner-up. | 659 | 19 |
| Amiya Jenkins, Anderson County | 5-11 | Sr. | 20.8 | Kentucky commit. 2022 Miss Basketball. 8th Region KABC Player of the Year. | 583 | 24 |
| Cassidy Rowe, Shelby Valley | 5-6 | Sr. | 16.1 | Kentucky commit. 15th Region KABC Player of the Year. | 334 | 5 |
| Haven Ford, Rowan County | 5-5 | Jr. | 20.4 | Vikings’ leading scorer since eighth grade. | 278 | 1 |
| Kensley Feltner, Lawrence County | 5-10 | Jr. | 26.9 | State’s leading scorer. Over 3,000 points/1,000 rebounds for career. | 212 | 6 |
| Leah Macy, Mercy | 6-2 | Fr. | 20.1 | 2025 ESPN HoopGurlz Watch List, averaged 12.3 rpg. | 170 | |
| Trinity Rowe, Pikeville | 5-5 | So. | 15.9 | Four-year starter for four-time defending 15th Region champ. | 168 | 1 |
| Josie Gilvin, Sacred Heart | 5-11 | Sr. | 7.5 | Western Kentucky commit, 2021 Girls’ Sweet 16 MVP. | 133 | 2 |
| Allie Stone, West Carter | 5-6 | Sr. | 24.0 | Undecided. 16th Region KABC Player of the Year. | 123 | 1 |
Second team
| Player, School | Ht | Class | PPG |
| Shaelyn Steele, Russell | 5-4 | So. | 21.9 |
| Jaya McClure, Christian Academy-Louisville | 5-6 | Sr. | 16.1 |
| Whitney Lind, Cooper | 6-2 | Jr. | 16.7 |
| Destiny Thomas, McCracken County | 6-0 | Jr. | 18.3 |
| Ciara Byars, Clark County | 5-8 | Fr. | 17.5 |
| Peyton Bradley, Meade County | 5-9 | Fr. | 19.3 |
| Timberlynn Yeast, Mercer County | 5-10 | Jr. | 20.9 |
| Brianna Byars, Clark County | 5-10 | Jr. | 15.1 |
| Meadow Tisdale, Bowling Green | 5-10 | Jr. | 15.5 |
| Emma Egan, Bullitt East | 5-8 | Sr. | 12.3 |
Third team
| Player, School | Ht | Class | PPG |
| Triniti Ralston, Sacred Heart | 5-8 | Jr. | 8.4 |
| Alyssa Elswick, Shelby Valley | 5-10 | Sr. | 16.5 |
| Audrey Biggs, Boyd County | 6-0 | So. | 17.5 |
| Rylee Turner, Newport Central Catholic | 5-9 | Sr. | 26.3 |
| Kaylee Banks, Letcher County | 5-9 | Sr. | 13.6 |
| Riley Neal, North Oldham | 5-11 | Sr. | 24.5 |
| Anaya Brown, Lafayette | 6-0 | Sr. | 17.4 |
| Hailee Valentine, North Laurel | 5-6 | Sr. | 19.0 |
| Lexy Lynch, Owsley County | 5-8 | Sr. | 16.5 |
| Rachel Presley, South Laurel | 6-2 | Sr. | 10.7 |
Honorable mention
Patience Laster, Franklin County; Carly Smith, Owsley County; Reagan Bender, Sacred Heart; Raven Innis, Barren County; Jamaya Chenault, Frankfort; Abby Maggard, Knott County Central; Jaileyah Cotton, Bardstown; Bellamee Sparks, Rose Hill; Courtney Hoskins, Leslie County; Kelsie Woodard, Menifee County; Monica Lindsey, Central Hardin; Makayla Noritis, Southwestern; Saniyah Shelton, Bowling Green; BreAnna Tincher, Jackson City; Dea Bradley, Hart County; Isabel Grimes, Breckinridge County; Sarah Weddington, Lewis County; Brianna Wilkins, Eastern; Carlie Thurmond, Bethlehem; Cassidy Morris, Trinity (Whitesville).
Methodology: Our annual All-State survey was emailed to all 273 KHSAA girls’ basketball coaches in Kentucky using their email registered with the KHSAA. Multiple attempts were made to encourage every school to participate. Coaches were asked to select their top 10 players and points were assigned based on a player’s position on the ballot (10 points for Player of the Year, nine points for No. 2, eight points for No. 3, etc.), and tabulated across all ballots received. The top 50 players receiving votes made our All-State list. This year, 106 coaches participated.
This story was originally published March 29, 2022 at 6:20 AM.
